Travelling and Oxygen and other info
Traveling with oxygen can be very
intimidating but with proper planning it can be
accomplished comfortably and safely. You don't
have to give up the adventure of travel. You just
have to make your arrangements in advance and be
willing to take the extra time to confirm details
prior to your trip.
Air Travel
Most U.S. air carriers and
many overseas carriers can provide service for
passengers requiring oxygen. The FAA requires a
physician's statement of your oxygen needs in
order to fly on a commercial airline. You cannot
bring your own oxygen on board, you must use
airline supplied oxygen. Requirements vary from
carrier to carrier but, they all require
arrangements be made in advance and they all
charge for in flight oxygen. Some airlines
require only 48 hours advance notice while others
require seven days. The best rule of thumb is
make arrangements as far in advance as possible.
All airlines charge for oxygen, but the charges
vary. (Note: Some first aid stations in airports
have oxygen available).
Tips for planning air travel
* Start by
checking with your physician to make sure it is
safe for you to travel.
* Contact the airline
you want to use as far in advance as possible.
* The arrangements are best made through
their special services or medical department.
Tell them you require in flight oxygen and ask
their requirement.
* Find out what flow they
can deliver and if they provide a mask or nasal
cannula. Some airlines only provide a mask but
will allow you to provide your own cannula.
*
Confirm the arrangements 48 hours prior to your
flight.
* It is a good idea to arrive early
at least an hour and a half on domestic
flights.
Cruises
Most cruise lines will accept
passengers who require oxygen. Advance notice of
at least 10 days is required. A doctors letter is
required and you must arrange and provide you own
equipment and oxygen. To get specific
requirements of the cruise line of your choice,
contact their reservation number and ask for
special services or medical department. To find
out more contact:
Medical Travel, Inc.
5184
Majorca Club Drive, Boca Raton, Florida
33486
Telephone: (561) 361-9384 * Fax:(561)
361-9385 * Toll Free:(800)778-7953
Website:
http://www.medicaltravel.org
* E-mail:
oxygen@medicaltravel.org
Train Travel - Amtrak
Oxygen equipment
can be brought on board, but you cannot rely
solely on on-board electrical power. You must
have at least a 12-hour backup supply of oxygen
that does not require the use of on-board
electrical power. Oxygen tanks and associated
equipment must be underwriter's Laboratory (U.L.)
or Factory Mutual (F.M.) listed. No more than two
75-pound or six 20-pound tanks are permitted
on-board per passenger.
For further details
and restriction contact:
Amtrak
60
Massachusetts Ave. N.E.
Washington, DC
20002-4225
(800) USA-RAIL, ask for Special
Service Desk
Bus Travel -
Greyhound
You must give Greyhound 48 hours
notice if you are traveling with oxygen. However,
it is a good idea to make reservations as far in
advance as possible. When you're making
reservations, ask to speak with someone in the
Greyhound customer relations department. Request
a copy of "Traffic Bulletin TFB2-86," which
details Greyhound's policy for passengers
traveling with oxygen.
For more information
contact
Greyhound
P.O. Box
660362
Dallas, TX 75266-0362
(800) 822-2662
or (800) 752-4841, Customer Relations
Resources for Arranging Oxygen for When
Traveling
A good place to start is with
your local supplier. National chains usually can
assist by contacting their other offices to make
the arrangements. Many local dealers belong to a
network of oxygen providers and can also assist
with the arrangements.
An website called
"Breathin Easy" has listings of oxygen suppliers
located throughout North America at
http://www.breathineasy.com
The
following companies can arrange oxygen in a
growing number of destinations around the world.
They do charge a fee for the service, but will
take care of all the details.
TravelMed 1 800
878-3627 thom@travelmedintl.com
The
Oxygen Traveler 1-937 848-7100
Oxygen0202@aol.com
Medical
Travel (800)778-7953
oxygen@medicaltravel.org
(C)
2000 Access-Able Travel Source
Message
Board Topics / General Posts / Travelling to
Europe with O2 on: Jan 6th, 2003, 5:32am
Started by ave | Post by ave
Important for any clusterhead using O2 and
travelling to Europe.
It took a
little time gathering the info, since my own O2
supplier does not handle this kind of service any
more. But they pointed me to the Medidis
organisation, that handles O2 delivery in this
country and all of Europe (and even many other
countries).
They can arrange to have O2
waiting for you at your temporary address or even
at the airport.
You can have follow up
bottles delivered where you stay and even at
different addresses if you are touring.
How
do I reach them?
They have a website with an
order form at
www.oxygentravelservice.com
Their
e-mail is medidis@xs4all
Their
phone nr. (from abroad) is
0031-036-5460100
Their fax nr. (from abroad)
is 0031-036-5460106
When the office is not
staffed, the call is taken by a call
centre.
The staff speaks excellent
English.
Suppliers of O2 in your
Area
*****still under
construction*****
Apria
Healthcare
155 North Donnerville
Road
Mountville, PA
17554
717-285-7805
1-800-223-8948
NORCO
1125
West Amity Road
Boise, ID 83705-5493 (home
office)
Branch offices in MT, WA, OR, NV, ID,
UT
Website:
www.norco-inc.com
& www.norlab-gas.com
*****link to New Zealand
o2 supplier-from Firebrix/Mopar*****
To
obtain O2 in New Zealand one needs a prescription
from a doctor; it is supplied free through the
public hospitals.
Or you can go to any
industrial gas supply, rent a tank and take it
home.
Regualtors and non-rebreather masks are
obtained through the hospital.
Regulators can
usually be purchased from any industrial gas
supply shop for around NZ$250.00.
Cost to
rent the 7 cu metre tank is approximately
NZ$10.00 per month and somewhere around NZ$70.00.
per fill.
B.O.C. are the cheapest supplier
but Air Liquide will also supply and
deliver
*****link to Hungarian o2
supplier-from Steve Totka(contact
him)*****
www.busoxy.hu
*****from mast...check out*****
Here is a
link to masks you can buy online.
Thanks for the write up, that is cool.
Mast
http://www1.mooremedical.com/index.cfm?PG=CTL&CS=HOM&FN=ProductDetail&PID=4269